i fellow alabamians. [ applause ] our contenders series continues this weekend. learn about former south dakota george mcgovernt democratic nominee in 1972. and sunday night, a look after the life and legacy of ross

perot in 1992 and 1996 of the presidential election. that's this weekend on american history tv. american history tv airs on c-span 3 every weekend telling american stories through events and interviews and visits through historic locations. this month, introducing you to programs that you could see every weekend on c-span 3. our features including luncheons and visits and college classrooms. take a look at the treasures at u.s. historic sites and museums and archives. real america revealing of the 20th century and the civil war and the presidency focuses on u.s. presidents and first ladies. to learn about their politics and legacies. all this month of primetime and every weekend on american

history tv on c-span 3. >> road to the white house rewind brings you archival coverages. coming up a 1968 campaign film by george wallace t former alabama governor democratic best known for racial segregation. he chose to run president under the banner of the newly formed american independent party. this is his push to get on the ballot. he came in third in the general election receiving 13.5% of the vote and winning five states. republican richard nixon won the presidency that year and a tight race over hubert humphrey. this half hour film is kucourte of the alabama archive of history. >> i am pleased to announce this morning that more than 100,000

californians are registered as members of the american independent party in order to give us a system and gaining a place on the california ballot in next year's general election. i want to thank the count less and thousands of californians could have done so much to assist this. i point out these people are representatives that are genuinely concerned of the care and directions that's followed by our national leadership. ♪ walking in the sunshine and singing a little sunshine song ♪ ♪ put a smile on your face ♪ think about the good times had ♪ ♪ a long time ago, think about and forget about your worries ♪

♪ when george wallace brought his campaign in california, it seems to be too much but not directly to california. southern traditions and national issues have in the past appeared to be too much of opposite polls. apparently, wallace was not bothered that his down home campaign completes with gospel singing be buiwildered some peo. it worked. by obtaining enough signatures to get on the california primary, wallace had proven or surely that he had a significant national political movement which must be reckon with. >> so political observers try to predict his next move. wallace kept on moving talking to people in all parts of california and gaining news and support everyday.

here was a strong new leadership that excited and here was a national voice that californians and millions of americans could rally behind. here was george. wallace, a new political voice in america. everything said about 48-year-old george wallace wo d would -- one constant comment was whether it is pros or cons. i admire his courage. wallace is a southerner who had universal support in the field that's not obvious at first

class. he communicates and talks in a language that people can understand and few politicians can match his uncandid ability to grasp the real issues and concerns of the american people in an area. he's truly a man of the people. it is because of these house he caught the off ballot in 1964 when he captured more than a million vote in the wisconsin california. the primary vote in indiana and 43% of the primary vote in maryland. but, if he is under estimated by some. it is not because he gets right down to cases. [ applause ] >> last year you voted on the matter of homeowner ship and private ownership, did you? but, you voted wrong according to the electoral in the court and they struck it down.

>> it was recommended on a congressional level that'll put you in jail in a trial or jury if you do not want to sell your properties to someone. another thing they have to be strong about in which people are concerned of this nation is the threat to the internal security of our country by the break down of law and order. it is a sad commentary that you cannot walk in the streets and th the parks. if you go out in this building tonight and somebody knocks you in the head, the person that knocks you in the head is out of jail before you get to the hospital and on monday morning, they won't drive you to the police.

[ applause ] the supreme court of or country, they are render the decisions. turning people loose everyday of confessed murders of five or more people. you have read about it and seen it. when you turn somebody lose, there is a murder of people, really, he's not to blame. society is to blame because his papa did not care and played with his little boy. [ applause ] >> and recently, we had a case that rose in our state of a decision of the supreme court that's going to destroy every neighborhood and schools in california last year. they already started in chicago and new york and washington, they ruled that you got to

transport little children across state lines. now, this decision arriving from occasion alabama is going to take your location and across the los angeles county and other counties. now, if you folks in california want to do that, if touyou want put your children in a bus everyday and send them to school and back that night, it is all right with the folks of alabama. you do whatever you want to do. you decide to do it yourself. don't let somebody 3,000 miles away writing the education of your child. that's all we are talking about. we had a case that rose in alabama and we have freedom of choice in our state in which you can choose to go to any school you want to and regardless of our race. last year the justice department file a suit and say not enough people on this side chose to go to school on this side. not enough in albany, alabama

chose to go and vice versa. >> what are we going to do about it and make them go and their answer us that's your problem, you work it out. that's your problem. if you don't work it out, we don't take your money away from you. >> it is taxpayers fund. the state of alabama give ys yo some money. you give the government of washington and when they send it back to you, we'll tell you how to spend it and we'll control every institutions that you got. well, in that decision, they ruled that we can keep freedom of choice if it works. if it works people get to choose to go over here and vice versa.

you will have to assign them yourself and make them go. the point we are trying to raise is you ought to go to school and anywhere you want to. now, everybody has talked about and there are no simple solut n solutio solutions, too. that's our involvement in southeast asia and we can talk all night in this auditorium about the matter of 17 parallel and old china and the genev geneva -- we are in vietnam whether you think we ought to be there or not. >> 500,000 american servicemen are committed between life and death. some of them are being killed at this moment. the donor came by to shake my hand. eight months ago, her husband was killed in vietnam and she had two children. they been killed on this night and one of the first things that

we caught to do is reappraise our attitude towards western europe and our attitudes towards our asian nations and by the way, they are doing so much better than some of those in western europe. western europe was rehabilitated by world war ii by the people of california. including those nations that we fall. i am glad that we do have a stable rehabilitated europe of our economist concern. that's a barrier of that part of the world even though we sold out of the nation. we still have a strong viable western europe and they need us and we need them. i am not talking about kicking our allies out. i am talking about having some eye ball to eye ball talk with them and above the table and make them respect us more and tell them that it is as much in your interest to be in south asia than it is for us.

if you don't go and help us and don't stop trading those who do with the north vietnamese of our enemies, we are going to cut foreign aid and ask you pay for what you got in the past because the average man -- [ applause ] the average man in our country does not understand that paying his money continuously to nations who not omnivonly want help us but trade in the north vietname vietnamese. mr. de gaulle in europe wants us to devalue our dollars. we know what happens to the pound over england. money that brought no return to the english people and we better get our house in order or we are going to face the same problem here in the united states. we ought to tell mr. de gaulle,

you are not going to be comparing our dollars of the efforts that you are making and taking zboing gold out of our c. we are going to put back on the boots of some of those billions of dollars that you owe us after world war i and ii that we are going to ask you to pay it back. that's a common sense approved. [ applause ] ♪ thank you very much. >> wallace' victorious california campaign was unique. >> and because it had never been

accomplished, unorthodox methods had to be used. >> small group of alabama and volunteers and to and from to direct and encourage volunteers. the wallace campaign started small and grew. more than enough signatures were obtained. this special way of running a campaign was brought about the unusual nature of california politics inviting wild commons to all political party in all states is rapid in sunny california. two politicians and one a republican and one a democratic, simultaneously, describing each other as party members as 2 million chiefs. let californians know what governor wallace stood for and

by radio and television and news paper. getting voters to sign register blanks to change their party affiliation. >> this unique part of the law making third parties getting a certain number of vote to reregistered is a political fact of life. california has primaries. this means that in order to vote in a party primary, you can do so only in that party in which you register as a member. changing your mind means changing your party. and in the wallace campaign, it all had to be done in less than a two months period. this objective has been the targ target of legislation throughout the history of california of politics. here, david j. farrelly teaching at the

university in california. >> 6 million people voted for a governor. i am getting 66,000 people to sign up for a new party is a difficult task. it is up to the legislature of the state to determine the minimum size of a party and i guess it could be argued that california laws make it difficult to have a third party going. november and december are not the most political active months and people are thinking of christmas and thanksgiving and so on. this is one obstacle. secondly is the strong tradition of our two party system that we have in the united states and this is true also in california. third certainly, trying to get people to change their registration from republican and democratic to a third party. so there are many obstacles that

their fazed by third party candidates in california. >> facing these problems, the wallace campaign decided the only way to get voters to sign registration blanks to have the problems explained to them individually. >> come on folks, say hello to governor george wallace. it will take a minute to register. we have registrars, it will be in one minute. put them on the ballot here in california. california law in effect in 1968. states that 66,059 voters must reregistered to qualify a candidate on the ballot. when the campaign kicked off, many experts said wallace did not have the appeal. as weeks past and the crowds grew and enthusiasm was obvious.

these same experts began to reverse their predictions. it was propelled along the in abdominal wallace's spirit and because of the unique solutions bounded to the complex problems by the small but effective, wallace campaign style. money is important to any campaign. but, to get money, you first must get people willing to give and believe in what they are giving to. the wallace california campaigns started in a political offseason. the 1968 presidential race is far off in the mind of voters. timing is impossible to manipulate. then approaching the january deadline, one of the coldest winter blast in history hits sunny california. as it is unseasonal weather were not enough. there were physical problems of working in southern california

itself. from some where to anywhere takes a half hour to an hour and a half depending on the freeway. the wallace campaign staff faced the problem of political traditions. swaying voters away and doing it with a skeleton staff. it was a maze of problems where one problem triggers forward. bad weather, no people and no people, no registrations then no new followers and no donations. the net total of one valuable day lost. >> these are the risks inherit to the nature of politics. politics itself is a serious and strategic contest. the politicians relishes both the risk and strategies. wallace and his staff weathered both suck sacess and failure.

what makes it appealing? are the convictions and the highest stakes? people rarely get to see the other side of george wallace. >> i met my wife and of course, she was very pretty. i did not realize it. she was very pretty and there is some twist of sparkles about her that's hard to explain. it is like a man meatieting his wife for the first time. there is something about it. hifs r i was running for the legislature and she was too young to vote. i was elected in 1946.

in public service that's holding legislative office. you are in a position to do thing that is you thought ought to be done or should be done for the people of your state. i like to go down to barbara county alabama and clayton and also to the little town that i was born and raised in and finished high school, in alabama. and see friends and reminisce and i do occasionally go to the courthouse of clayton alabama and sit around as a custom in the room south. i enjoy this stimulating in a warm experience to go back to the country with your hometown friends. i like people and large or small

crowd and i enjoy being with people. while the wallace campaign gathers its momentum, the great majority of support is near home base. 60% of the state's population. the metropolitan area is the home of 7 million people and providing the greatest number of registrations. it is according to wallace's campaign staffs, the one thing working for them of a small staff blanketing the states completely, it can be done. >> while there are valuable registrations from the northern area, it is impossible to cover the entire state as the southern area can be covered even with the major difficulties inherit to the region. statistically speaking the campaign faced disaster. it could not be done.

but, statistics are reflections of hard facts and not the whole human story. one part of the real story can be found in the areas dissected. areas in which the working men swings easily to us. bell gardens within the county of los angeles and population of 30,000 and democratic or to one. by the end of the campaign, wallace claims more register voters. huntington part or residential section. wallace workers opening the office and the area swings to wallace. the response was two sided. both democrats and republicans go for wallace. in the city of may wood, december 1966, there are over

4,000 democrats, nearly 2,000 republicans. by the end of the campaign, democrats lose nearly 2,000 of the faithful while republicans lose nearly 1,000. the reasons to change appeared much alike. >> i give my support to governor george d. wallace. i feel that governor wallace really means what he says when he says that he will keep government in the hands of individua individual states. therefore, helping each state decide for itself its role and local government. >> i am in favor for george wallace because i believe he's the only man who'll stand up for the men and vietnam to win the

war by leading the chief of staff handling the situation there and instead of the politic political intellectual of washington. >> i am from romania. i support governor wallace because i think he's a good man to save this country and the commons. registration continues and strategies from the main office keeps the names coming instantly. once this strategy boils down to is canvassing areas and gathering money registration as possible and then move to the next area. according to some workers, it is close to trying to be in two places at the same time. there remains one basic problem.

there is only one george wallace. the physical problems, where wallace does appear returns gather momentum and tripling and often quadrupling and each day is a race within himself covering much ground as possible and all the while, there are problems in the established area and new areas and phone calls and meetings and business from alabama and each taking valuable time. >> moral and neenthusiasm. a constant problem of campaigns and california was no different. high or low of the campaign organizations. spreading quickly to staffs and workers. primary factors boosted workers in the golden state. the realization of the 1968, the presidential race is going to be

a close one. the increasing waves of support for governor wallace. >> california law aim at keeping new parties out of california provered not enough to stop the grass root movement. some experts were willing to state that governor george c. wallace could be elected as president in 1968. the reco a giant steppingstone towards the 270 electoral votes needed to put george wallace in the white house. and, strong grass roots wallace support in states outside this house coupled with the simple fact of slightly more than

one-third of the race that's needed to give a candidat candidate -- projecting governor wallace to the forefront of the 1968 presidential vote. with working organization and demonstrated voters appeal of ohio and pennsylvania and indiana and maryland, the number of electoral votes needed to elect george wallace president in 1968 was clearly within reach. some so-called experts still remained to be convinced but one lesson learned by the wallace campaigner in california was that they should not mind being under estimated. not when you consider the results. >> george wallace is in turouch with the people and he knows the sincerity of their convictions and there must be a change in our national government's foreign and domestic policies.

george wallace does not take time to try to convince the experts. he's too busy talking with the people. he's running and a few national political movement by the people goes with him, step by step. growing stronger every day. >> we are happy with results of the california campaign and development of our country also. the great round of citizen interests that we tap in 1964 and our campaigns and indiana, maryland and wisconsin has continued to rise and the registration victory in california here in 1968 dramatically illustrate that this is a national movement that can no longer be denied or brushed under the rug. given the facts that people will